Eaglehawk Neck (Tasmania) Pelagic - 25 September 2005

EAGLEHAWK NECK BOAT TRIP - 25 September 2005


GROUP:                Richard Baxter, Barry and Julie Bucholtz, Michael Dempsey, Matt Herring, Stuart Hull, Chris and Rosemary Lester, Marlene Lyall, Grant Penrhyn, Maree Petrow, John Rogers, Inga Vandyke, Bill Wakefield.

VESSEL/SKIPPER:        Pauletta / John Males with deckie, Micheal Males.

WEATHER:                Fine, sunny and cool early.  Stayed that way over the day.  There was only a light westerly breeze of 5-10 knots.  In the afternoon, the wind got a bit stronger at 15 knots from the north.

SEA:                        Initially, no swell with chop of less than 1.0 m rising to a swell of about 1 m with chop less than 1 m later.

ACTIVITY:                Sailed 07.15.  Headed E from Pirates Bay to outside the shelf.  Berleyed from 08.45 at the first stop (about 15 nm from Pirates Bay and 1.5 nm past the shelf) at 43o 01.76'S 148o16.34'E in 260 fathoms with water temperature at 11.5o C until 09.30.  Continued out and stopped at 10.00 (at about 6.0 nm past the shelf) in 900 fathoms (11.9o C) at 43o 02.11'S 148o 16.22'E until 10.45. Moved in a northerly direction (stopping about 24 nm from Pirates Bay) to 42o 59.31'S 148o 23.59'E and stopped at 11.30 in 800 fathoms (13.8oC).  Started back at 12.00, with a final stop 3 nm from the shelf at 12.45 in 500 fathoms (12.3o C) at 42o 57.98'S 148o 19.79'E until 13.15.  Returned to Pirates Bay, arriving at 15.30.

MAMMALS:                None identified.

BIRDS:                        Quite a good day on the water in terms of bird species with lower overall bird numbers than I would expect.  The weather was really good with a bit of swell / chop to keep the birds up.  The only real highlights were the WHITE-HEADED PETREL and the dead SOUTHERN FULMAR.  Too bad the latter was not a live bird.

Little Penguin                                  1 calling
Southern Giant-Petrel                     2 (1)
Northern Giant-Petrel                     1
SOUTHERN FULMAR                  1 dead at sea - collected for the museum
Cape Petrel                                    10 (6) - 2 r. australe
Great-winged Petrel                        6 (2)
WHITE-HEADED PETREL           1
Fairy Prion                                     50 (5)
Short-tailed Shearwater             150 (100)
Wandering Albatross                   6 (3) - all r. gibsoni except 1 exulans
Royal Albatross                             5      -  3 Northern and 2 Southern
Black-browed Albatross               5 (2)
Shy Albatross                              50 (18)
Yellow-nosed Albatross             13 (6)
Buller's Albatross                          2 (1)
Wilson's Storm-Petrel                    2 (2)
Grey-backed Storm-Petrel             2 (1)
Australasian Gannet                      4 (2)
Black-faced Cormorant                  3 (2) - plus 6 inshore
Great Skua                                       2 (1)
Pacific Gull                                      3 (3) - all close to shore
Kelp Gull                                         3 (3) - plus 10 inshore
Silver Gull                                       4 (4) - all close to shore
Crested Tern                                53 (43)

Note:  Figures in parentheses are the most birds seen at one time.

Remaining 2005 Trips:  27 November
2006 Trips:  26 February, 24 September and 26 November